Unit Two: The UK Flashcards
another term for instant runoff voting
alternate voting (av)
a series of reductions in public spending, intended to cut welfare and other public institution during coalition
austerity program
(in the UK) a Member of Parliament who does not hold office in the government or opposition and who sits behind the front benches in the House of Commons
backbenchers
provided for a social insurance program that made all citizens eligible for health, unemployment, pension, and other benefits.
Beveridge Report
Labour PM; charted a course called the “third way” (New Labour); He cut ties with trade unions and focussed more on larger companies
Tony Blair
David Cameron presented this idea for people to have more say in government
Big Society
The primary station that sought to educate citizens, and was usually respectful of government officials.
BBC
Historically the BNP has been overtly anti-Semitic but in recent years it has focused on ousting Muslims from Britain.
British National Party (BNP)
Tony Blair’s successor; supported the “third way”
Gordon Brown
PM of the Conservatives-LibDems coalition in the 2010 election; supported “Big Society”, one that is energized by grass-root volunteers and private organizations, NOT a “Big Government”
David Cameron
meetings of people from the same
area or of like mind
Caucuses
(political culture) in Britain was
characterized by trust, deference to authority and competence, pragmatism, and harmony.
“civic culture”
called for the nationalization of the “commanding heights” of British industry; providing more industry
Clause 4
Liberal-Democratic leader during 2010 coalition
Nick Clegg
When there is no clear majority in the House of Commons, this government may form when 2 or more parties combine to take the majority
coalition government
to reach a general agreement on something
collective consensus
the notion that cabinet members must publicly agree with PM policymaking
collective responsibility
a nonprofit organization in the United Kingdom. Its mission is to lobby and act as an advocate for domestic businesses on national and international issues; limit TUC’s
wage demands in exchange for a 3% reduction in income tax rates.
Confederation of Business Industries
the main party on the right, but it has prospered partly because it traditionally has been a pragmatic, rather than an ideological party
Conservative Party
the “constitution” has evolved over time, with important documents, common law, and customs combining to form what is
often called the
“Constitution of the Crown”
differences in cultural identity
cultural heterogeneity
The party has been described as right-wing and socially conservative, being anti-abortion and opposing same-sex marriage. The DUP sees itself as defending Britishness and Ulster Protestant culture against Irish nationalism and Irish republicanism; the party is Eurosceptic and supported Brexit
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
the transfer or delegation of power to a lower level, especially by central government to local or regional administration
devolution
an Act of the Parliament of England that set out certain basic civil rights and clarified who would be next to inherit the Crown. It remains a crucial statute in English constitutional law. The Bill of Rights. Parliament of England.
the English Bill of Rights
a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration
Euroskeptics
winner takes all (usually ran in district)
“first-past-the-post” voting system
introducing fixed-term elections to Parliament. Under the provisions of the Act, parliamentary elections must be held every five years
Fixed-Term Parliaments Act of 2011
This bloodless revolution established
the constitutional monarchy when William and Mary agreed to written restrictions on their power by signing the Bill of
Rights. (parliamentary restrictions)
the Glorius Revolution
consists of the PM and his/her cabinet
the “government”
a slow change in policies and politics over time
gradualism
House of Lords seats earned by birth
hereditary peers
gives authority to local governments; in the UK this is Wales, Scotland, etc;
home rule
no party in House earns the majority
hung parliament
the feeling of separation from the continent of Europe
insularity
used guerrilla warfare tactics to convince the British to allow Irish independence. Finally, in 1949, the bulk of Ireland became a totally independent country, and Northern Ireland
has remained under British rule, but not without a great deal of conflict between Protestants and Catholics.
Irish Republican Army
Margaret Thatcher’s nickname
“Iron Lady”
support a great deal of government control of the economy, including the nationalization of many major industries.
Keynesianism
the largest party on the left; Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and Ed Miliband
Labour Party
members of the House of Lords who were
designated as the highest judicial authority in Great Britain to settle disputes from lower courts; later replaced with Supreme Court
law lords
Two parties – the Liberals and the Social Democrats – formed an alliance in the 1983 and 1987 elections, and formally merged in 1989, establishing the Liberal Democratic Party. The goal was to establish a strong party in the middle as a compromise to the politics of the two major parties: Thatcher’s extremely conservative leadership and
Labour’s leftist views and strategies.
Liberal Democratic Alliance
the philosophy that emphasizes political and economic freedoms for the
individual and the market.
liberalism
people appointed to nonhereditary positions as a result of distinguished service to Britain
life peers
the second party behind the majority party; faces the PM and his cabinet
“loyal opposition”
King John signed this to put an end to a complete Monarch
Magna Carter
Labour party; supported AV
Ed Miliband
inflation + unemployment
“misery index”
the government directing the economy and nationalizing major industries without giving up basic principles of capitalism, such as private ownership of property
mixed economy
Although Britain has a relatively large
amount of cultural homogeneity, its boundaries include England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, all of which have been different nations in the past but are united under one government today.
multi-nationalism
a democratic form of corporatism which favors economic tripartism, which involves strong labour unions, employers’ associations, and governments that cooperated as “social partners” to negotiate and manage a national economy
neo-coropatism
a revival of the old political and economic philosophy of liberalism that had guided Britain in earlier years; M Thatcher; Free Market Economy
neo-liberalism
duty of the upper class to take care of the Welfare of the lower class
noblesse oblique
Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries
OPEC
The most important portal to the elite classes is through Oxford and Cambridge Universities, or _____
Oxbridge
- Executive = Legislative
- PM and his/her cabinet lead
- Legislative Body = Parliament
- The PM is the leader of majority party
- PM chooses cabinet from Parliament
- People vote for members of Parliament (They do NOT vote for parties or the PM)
parliamentary system
a center-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom
Plaid Cymru
also known as first-past-the-post
plurality voting system
the tendency to disagree openly and sometimes violently with the government
politics of protest
voters cast their ballots for a party rather than for a candidate, and the percentage of votes a party receives determines how many seats the party will gain in the legislature
proportional representation
quasi-autonomous nongovernmental
organizations), or policy advisory boards appointed by the government
quangos
the PM listens and responds to questions the opposition might have; held every week
Question Time
based neither on tradition nor
on the force of a single personality, but rather on a system of well-established laws and procedures
rational-legal legitimacy
an event in which the people of a county, state, etc., vote for or against a law that deals with a specific issue; a public vote on a particular issue
referendum
an electoral district that is regarded as fully secure, for either a particular party or candidate
safe districts
Scots still have a strong national identity and tend to think of themselves as being very different from the English. The Scots too have their own national flag, and the Scottish Parliament has recently been revived. In 2015, a vote for Scottish Independence was narrowly defeated.
Scottish Independent Movement
the largest party in Scottish National Party that supports Scottish nationalism and independence
Scottish National Party (SNP)
the opposition that faces the majority party and the PM with his cabinet
“shadow cabinet”
an Irish republican political party dedicated to the reunification of Ireland and an end to British jurisdiction in the north of Ireland
Sinn Fein
unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest; mutual support within a group
solidarity
presides over all debates in the House of Commons; supposed to be objective and often is not a member of the majority party
Speaker of the House
strict conservatives that want to roll back government controls and move to a fully free market. The members of this wing are often referred to as Euroskeptics because they see the EU’s move toward European integration as a threat to British sovereignty
Thatcherism
a centrist political position that attempts to reconcile right-wing and left-wing politics by advocating a varying synthesis of center-right economic policies with center-left social policies
the third way
early political party; supported the king and the monarch
Tories
represents a coalition of unions
Trade Union Congress
the act of inheriting the power from a predecessor; ex: House of Lords hereditary peers
traditional leadership
characterized by political scientists as a right-wing populist party; the major focus was the threat of the EU taking from GB sovereignty
UK Independence Party
centralized form of government
unitary government
a vote on a key issue. If the issue is not supported, the cabinet by tradition must resign immediately, and elections for new
MPs must be held as soon as possible
vote of no confidence
Today, noblesse oblige is reflected in the general willingness of the British to accept a “_____”, including the NHS
welfare state
early political party that supported the overthrow of the monarch
Whigs
David Cameron presented this idea for people to have more say in government
Big Society
